He survived! David Cameron 'mildly broiled' by Letterman... shame he didn't know what Magna Carta meant
Apart from a sticky moment when he
did not know what the words 'Magna Carta' meant (Latin detention for you
this weekend, Cameron minor!) the Prime Minister survived his
interrogation on CBS Television’s Late Night show with David Letterman.
'Boy, it would be good if you knew this!' said Letterman about the Magna Carta thing.
University-educated Mr Cameron opened his hands in a shrug. But he did know the date it was signed.
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Scintillating and sparkly might not be the words for the programme.
It certainly was not as acid as some British TV shows. Perhaps Letterman gave our premier an easy ride.
At times it was more like an elementary history lesson. But the Prime Minister got in some blatant plugs for the British employment market and his chops looked tanned and smiley.
In the telly world, my dears, such things matter.
The band played 'Rule Britannia' when he arrived on stage at the New York theatre where the programme was shot on Wednesday night.
Yikes, Letterman: one of America’s most notoriously tricky TV interviewers. London Mayor Boris Johnson, his great rival, went on the programme recently.
Perhaps that was why Mr Cameron agreed to subject himself to this primetime torment.
Letterman guests can expect to have their legs pulled, their giblets roasted.
Mr Cameron’s went only mildly broiled. He looked a bit tense at first but by the end had relaxed.
The feared host, perhaps a little antique and gum-sucky these days, pinged Mr Cameron a few citizenship-style questions – what date was Magna Carta, where was it signed, and who wrote 'Rule Britannia'?
Mr Cameron fluffed that last one. He said it was Elgar. In fact the song’s words were by James Thomson and the tune was by Thomas Arne.
Letterman: 'Never heard of him?' Mr Cameron: 'I have now.'
The PM spent a lot of time explaining British history to Letterman, who was surely putting on his uninformed idiot act.
Is Ireland in England, wondered Letterman. 'Don’t make that mistake!' cried Mr Cameron, no doubt terrified of what any watching Irish-American Noraid types might do if he made a gaffe.
'I’m just being the idiot,' said Letterman. 'I’m ignorant.' No one is buying that.
This guy is as sharp as a cider apple. But the interviewer was perhaps asking questions that millions of his viewers may have wanted him to ask.
It may have sounded basic but by patiently explaining that Britain still has the pound, by patiently explaining that Wales is part of the UK, he was doing some decent PR.
He went on about how a million jobs had been created in Britain in the past two years.
Letterman (without sarcasm): 'Phenomenal!' Cue a Cameron exposition about how business taxes have been cut in the Britain and how it is easier to hire people.
This was a hard sell to American investors.
Yes, going on this show was probably a Cameron ego trip, but it was also excusable, trade-drumming business.
Perhaps surprisingly, there were no personal questions about Mr Cameron’s family. Nor was the dreaded 'pleb' row concerning Andrew Mitchell mentioned.
But it might have taken all night to explain that to the viewers in Milwaukee.
The live audience was most impressed when they heard about how little (compared to America) our polticians spend on election campaigns.
And by far the biggest 'ahhhhh' of the night went to a picture of Larry the Downing Street cat.
Mr Cameron said Larry was a terrible mouser and another cat had had to be hired to do his job. Typical civil service!
Letterman, on hearing that Larry and his new assistant had managed to catch just one mouse, expressed suitable shock at their lack of productivity.
Mr Cameron also spoke repeatedly about the London Olympic Games, dropping in Sebastian Coe’s name (they have heard of him in the States).
He said that we, as a country, were proud of the Olympics. Letterman: 'So you should be.' Again, in a British TV show all this might have sounded a bit hokey but on CBS primetime it seemed to be genuine.
And then, in a passage about the British political system, Mr Cameron said: 'We have this strange thing in Britain, the Leader of the Opposition.'
'Boy, it would be good if you knew this!' said Letterman about the Magna Carta thing.
University-educated Mr Cameron opened his hands in a shrug. But he did know the date it was signed.
Scroll down for video
Detention! When asked what the Magna Carta meant
by talk show host David Letterman, right, university-educated Mr
Cameron, left, opened his hands in a shrug
Cameron, left, giggles as he talks about the
different countries which make up the UK, and right, his chops look
tanned and smiley
It certainly was not as acid as some British TV shows. Perhaps Letterman gave our premier an easy ride.
At times it was more like an elementary history lesson. But the Prime Minister got in some blatant plugs for the British employment market and his chops looked tanned and smiley.
In the telly world, my dears, such things matter.
The band played 'Rule Britannia' when he arrived on stage at the New York theatre where the programme was shot on Wednesday night.
Yikes, Letterman: one of America’s most notoriously tricky TV interviewers. London Mayor Boris Johnson, his great rival, went on the programme recently.
Perhaps that was why Mr Cameron agreed to subject himself to this primetime torment.
Letterman guests can expect to have their legs pulled, their giblets roasted.
Mr Cameron’s went only mildly broiled. He looked a bit tense at first but by the end had relaxed.
The feared host, perhaps a little antique and gum-sucky these days, pinged Mr Cameron a few citizenship-style questions – what date was Magna Carta, where was it signed, and who wrote 'Rule Britannia'?
Mr Cameron fluffed that last one. He said it was Elgar. In fact the song’s words were by James Thomson and the tune was by Thomas Arne.
At times it was more like an elementary history
lesson. But the Prime Minister got in some blatant plugs for the British
employment market
The PM spent a lot of time explaining British history to Letterman, who was surely putting on his uninformed idiot act.
Is Ireland in England, wondered Letterman. 'Don’t make that mistake!' cried Mr Cameron, no doubt terrified of what any watching Irish-American Noraid types might do if he made a gaffe.
'I’m just being the idiot,' said Letterman. 'I’m ignorant.' No one is buying that.
This guy is as sharp as a cider apple. But the interviewer was perhaps asking questions that millions of his viewers may have wanted him to ask.
It may have sounded basic but by patiently explaining that Britain still has the pound, by patiently explaining that Wales is part of the UK, he was doing some decent PR.
He went on about how a million jobs had been created in Britain in the past two years.
Letterman (without sarcasm): 'Phenomenal!' Cue a Cameron exposition about how business taxes have been cut in the Britain and how it is easier to hire people.
This was a hard sell to American investors.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, Cameron's great rival, left, went on the programme recently
Perhaps surprisingly, there were no personal questions about Mr Cameron’s family. Nor was the dreaded 'pleb' row concerning Andrew Mitchell mentioned.
But it might have taken all night to explain that to the viewers in Milwaukee.
The live audience was most impressed when they heard about how little (compared to America) our polticians spend on election campaigns.
And by far the biggest 'ahhhhh' of the night went to a picture of Larry the Downing Street cat.
Mr Cameron said Larry was a terrible mouser and another cat had had to be hired to do his job. Typical civil service!
Letterman, on hearing that Larry and his new assistant had managed to catch just one mouse, expressed suitable shock at their lack of productivity.
Mr Cameron also spoke repeatedly about the London Olympic Games, dropping in Sebastian Coe’s name (they have heard of him in the States).
He said that we, as a country, were proud of the Olympics. Letterman: 'So you should be.' Again, in a British TV show all this might have sounded a bit hokey but on CBS primetime it seemed to be genuine.
And then, in a passage about the British political system, Mr Cameron said: 'We have this strange thing in Britain, the Leader of the Opposition.'
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